Grasping
by a. loquita
Summary: Vala gets a clue about a teammate! Very silly fluffy S/J fic


**Grasping  
**by: a. loquita  
A/N: special thanks to my beta la tante

Vala watched with the practiced eye of a woman who knows men. Really knows them, often better than they understand themselves.

Most planets she'd been to had names for someone with her talents, and they were usually derogatory. But in Vala's mind, her skills were honed over time only because they had to be. They were just part of her survival toolbox. No different than stealing when you were starving and had no money. No different than escaping when the chance presented itself. Studying a man and learning the way he thinks, feels, reacts, was no different. Except, perhaps, it was a tad more fun than desperate escapes and trying not to starve. Ok maybe it was a lot more fun.

Vala was currently studying a man whom she'd only met twice before, both instances rather briefly. This was the third time, and now she happened to be in the briefing room, sitting next to Daniel. The rest of SG-1 and Landry were in the room too. As was the man currently under her microscope, one General O'Neill.

They were about to leave on a dangerous mission, one they'd already talked about _ad nauseam_ and Vala was ready to go and do, not sit and talk. But the humans that inhabited Earth loved their meetings. And they also loved forms with little ticky boxes and apparently, you couldn't just check them all—you had to choose. So, Vala was glad she had found a project to keep her busy and not spinning in her chair out of sheer boredom because Daniel hated when she did that. Her project was studying General O'Neill.

The General was leaning back in his chair, relaxed, seeming to pay attention to the words coming out of Sam's mouth as she stood near the screen, laser pointer in hand, briefing them _yet again _on her latest genius plan and corresponding piece of technology.

But Vala wasn't watching Sam. She was watching General O'Neill watching Sam. He clearly wasn't really hearing a word Sam was saying, but he was doing a fairly admirable job of faking it. Right up until General O'Neill's eyes flickered down from Sam's moving mouth and landed on her—

Vala fought the gasp that wanted to escape. Then she squinted daggers at him. Now, that wasn't very appropriate! A high-ranking General should show more respect to a lower-ranking officer who happens to be of the opposite sex. It was strange too, because Vala hadn't gotten the "dirty" vibe from the General the last two times she'd met him.

Even as she registered O'Neill's refocusing of attention, Sam didn't miss a beat in her lecture. Vala swung her head in time to see something interesting flash on her teammate's face. A moment later, when Sam hit the words "primitive behavior" in the middle of her description of the planet they would be traveling to if the mission was approved, Sam seemed to be addressing only one person in the room. In response to the words, or the tone used to say them, the General's eyes popped back up to where they should be.

Vala smiled but on the inside she cheered, "You go, girl!" using a phrase she'd picked up from TMZ. Sam could fight her battles with her own distinct set of survival skills.

Sam finished up and returned to her seat, right next to General O'Neill. Daniel flipped the lights back on inside the briefing room.

Mitchell was the first to give his opinion and the group focused on him. As Mitchell babbled on about this and that, Vala noticed how close Sam was to General O'Neill physically. In fact, she wondered if they were about to brush up against each other at any moment.

But that made no sense. The General was a dirty old man, wasn't he? He'd just been checking out Sam's maracas (according to what Vala had overhead Walter saying, that's what they were often called here on Earth), and furthermore, Sam had caught the General in the act.

Very strange.

Vala casually moved her pencil to the edge of the table. No one was paying any attention to her because Landry and Daniel were going on about something.

As Vala tipped the pencil and it fell on to the floor, Teal'c raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Vala knew what that meant, but she leaned down to retrieve her pencil anyway. Under cover of the table, she caught sight of Sam moving her leg until it was right up next to General O'Neill's. She was barely touching him, but still touching.

Vala rose up above table level, confused now. What's more, the General was wearing a contented face. Very contented. The kind of contentment Vala had seen on the men's faces fifteen nights into the 30 nights of Anti-Provocation Ceremony on that backwater planet, Thennse. That ceremony had been… well… men were serviced and contented every night for 30 nights straight. And that was all she was going to say about that.

And besides the thoroughly confusing behavior of both General O'Neill and Sam, there was a larger issue at stake. Vala was a little put out. No one had told her that playing footsie under the table or other fun stuff like that was allowed. This changed everything! Briefings would never again have to be so utterly boring.

Vala leaned her chin on her hand and studied the men in the room, trying to decide which one she would sit next to at the next briefing, and then the briefing after that, and the one after that. It was while this careful analysis was going on that she noticed General O'Neill huff in irritation.

Generals don't huff, thought Vala. Generals should be more dignified and stoic. Where had O'Neill gone to General school? He huffed again, at whatever the group was discussing and his hand left the table. Was he fidgeting in annoyance? Or was it an excuse to touch someone else under the table?

Very sneaky, General.

Vala was just about to knock the pencil off again to go investigate when Teal'c gave her the eyebrow _and_ the look. Uh oh, that was not good. The eyebrow combined with the look was trouble. Once they had been accompanied by Teal'c drawing a comparison between Vala and this planet's common housefly. She had asked why, and all he'd said was, "Buzzing."

Vala had looked that one up on Daniel's computer and found it had to do with drinking alcohol. She couldn't figure out why telling Teal'c about her adventures with a handsome pirate and their escaping capture (and no, it had not been_ exactly _like that Johnny Depp movie) was similar to behaving like she'd consumed large amounts of alcohol. Especially since this planet's alcoholic drinks didn't seem to affect her much and Teal'c knew that.

Teal'c was very confusing sometimes.

Sam suddenly cleared her throat. Startled, Vala looked at her; Sam looked back as if she had been waiting for something.

Vala smiled sweetly. "Ah, what was that?"

"I asked if you'd ever heard of a planet called Maha?"

"No." Vala searched her memory for anything, anything at all, because she did so want to be helpful. "But I have been to one called Mor'ron, and it had these lovely, little green gemstones that grew on the beach and a—"

Daniel interrupted. His "Vala," sounding as if he believed she'd been sent here as some kind of punishment for previously committed sins. Then he turned to Sam and said, "I still think it might be worth looking…"

The voices faded once more as Vala brought her focus back to General O'Neill. Something was definitely salmon-y. Or was it shrimp-y? No. Fishy? Fishy. That was it. Something about O'Neill was fishy, and more than that, was Teal'c covering for him? A kind of male bonding? A secret agenda? Or… what?

The General cleared his throat, "Get to the point, Daniel."

In the bickering that ensued, Vala listened as O'Neill and Daniel went back and forth, forth and back, and decided, overall, the match was quite impressive to watch. Sam finally interrupted.

"Sir, I believe the capacitors can handle small fluctuations and there might be a chance I can even push the engines…"

Vala watched General O'Neill's eyes soften minutely, as Sam babbled on in her science-y talk.

"So?" O'Neill finally asked.

Sam licked her lips. "I think we should do it."

The General had zoned in on her lip-wetting. The pause for his response was a little longer than it should have been. He gave one short nod. "OK."

The flash of emotion across Sam's face was a thank you, but Vala noticed something else there too. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Landry rose to his feet and spoke. "I understand this is perhaps the most dangerous mission we've faced, and considering the things SG-1 has dealt with in the past, that's saying something. Therefore, neither General O'Neill nor I want to order you to go. I'm leaving it up to each of you to volunteer. If you stand—"

Mitchell, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c stood as one before Landry had even finished. Vala glanced up at them then scrambled to her feet as well.

Landry nodded, "SG-1, you have a go." He exited the briefing room.

O'Neill asked the group, "You guys are sure?"

"Sir," Sam replied, "I've calculated every possible scenario."

The General raised an eyebrow. "Every possible one, you say?"

"You know that we have to go."

"Yes," he sounded resigned.

Vala remained where she was by the table as Teal'c and Mitchell left. Daniel was hovering near the doorway, while Sam and the General stood still in the middle of the briefing room, looking at each other like—

"Oh, my God!" Vala exclaimed. The hand flying to cover her mouth was too late to stop the sudden realization. "You're in love!"

Behind Vala, Daniel coughed loudly. But she had no intention of stopping, behaving, being subtle, or whatever else that cough of his was supposed to mean. This was big! This was…

Oh no.

It sank in what had happened here. They were going off to save the world, possibly the galaxy, again. It's what they did practically every week. But this time, it would be against incredible odds of them ever coming home. This man, this poor, sweet, NOT dirty old man was the one who had to give the final OK for all of them, including the woman he loved, to go off and maybe never come back. This was more heartbreaking than 'Gone with the Wind'!

Vala dahsed across the room. She threw her arms around both of them, tears in her eyes. "I am so… so sorry."

Sam patted her back. "It's OK, Vala."

Vala leaned back enough so she could study their faces. "But it's all very beautiful and sad all at the same time."

Sam gave her a small smile. "We're OK, Vala. But thanks for the concern."

"Touching," O'Neill said, while lifting Vala's hand off of his shoulder and letting go as if it were germy.

"Vala," Daniel said, "let's give them the room."

Vala took a deep breath and said, "Of course." She smiled brightly at the couple, especially O'Neill, hopeful that her reassuring hug might, in some small way, help them deal with this sad moment.

Vala stopped at the door just long enough to add over her shoulder, "Oh, and, General, I just knew you weren't a dirty old man who was only interested in maracas."


End file.
